Chavela Vargas

Chavela Vargas upended notions of the male-dominated ranchera sounds throughout her long life, becoming one of Mexico's most prized vocalists. Her image, that of a woman clad in a man's suit, smoking a cigar and crooning about love and loss, was a shock in devout Catholic Mexico in the early '60s and beyond. But her sheer talent, and smoky, expressive voice won over detractors. She was born in Costa Rica, but moved to Mexico as a teenager, where she took to the streets to sing. A friendship with songwriter José Alfredo Jiménez gave her the emotional material she needed. Her arrangements of songs like "Macorina" and "La Llorona" stripped away the excess horns and other instrumentation of traditional rancheras, and laid bare her voice and just the whisper of guitar. This unique combination would bring her fame and notoriety in the decades to follow. The unflinching honesty of her recordings and the heartbreak they convey guarantee her a place in the history of Mexico's music.